Rachel Earl (born 13 December 1971) is an English writer and broadcaster. She is best known as the author of the 2007 book ''My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary'', a collection of the diaries she wrote as a teenager which was later adapted into the E4 comedy-drama series ''

My Mad Fat Diary ''My Mad Fat Diary'' is a British teen drama, teen comedy-drama television series that debuted on E4 (TV channel), E4 on 14 January 2013. It is based on the novel ''My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary'' by Rae Earl. The second series started on 19 Februa ...

'' (2013–2015)

Early life

Earl was born and raised in

Stamford, Lincolnshire Stamford is a town and civil parish in the South Kesteven District of Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 19,701 and estimated at 20,645 in 2019. The town has 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings, older timber-framed ...

. She attended Stamford High School. She obtained a degree from

Hull University , mottoeng = Bearing the Torch f learning, established = 1927 – University College Hull1954 – university status , type = Public , endowment = £18.8 million (2016) , budget = £190 million ...

and won the university's

Philip Larkin Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, '' The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, '' Jill'' (1946) and '' A Girl in Winter'' (1 ...

literary prize in 1994.

Career

After university, Earl worked as a copywriter in local radio before moving into radio presenting. She is the author of the 2007 book ''My Fat, Mad Teenage Diary'' (published in the U.S. as ''My Mad Fat Diary'' in 2016), a collection of the diaries she wrote as a teenager in the late 1980s. The diary describes the tribulations of being a fat girl with mental health difficulties, who lives in a

council house A council house is a form of British public housing built by local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing a number of council houses and other amenities like schools and shops. Construction took place mainly from 1919 ...

with her mother and her mother's new Moroccan boyfriend.Rae Earl on My Mad Fat Diary
/ref> A follow-up book, ''My Madder Fatter Diary Vol. 2'', was published in 2014. The E4 comedy-drama series ''

'' (2013–2015) was based on her books. Unlike the books, the series took place in the 1990s rather than the 1980s.

Personal life

Earl lives in the Australian city of

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

and is married to Kevin Johnson. They have a son named Harry. Earl participated in

Hard Quiz ''Hard Quiz'' is an Australian television comedy quiz show which premiered on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on 19 October 2016. Hosted by Tom Gleeson, the show is a spin-off of his "Hard Chat" segment on the satirical televisio ...

Live at the

Theatre Royal, Hobart Theatre Royal is an historic performing arts venue in central Hobart, Tasmania. It is the oldest continually operating theatre in Australia; Noël Coward once called it "a dream of a theatre" and Laurence Olivier launched a national appeal for ...

on November 12, 2022. Her expert subject was

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

and she eventually won the show, taking away the limited edition brass mug.

Works

Novels

* ''OMG! Is This Actually My Life? Hattie Moore's Unbelievable Year!'' (2013) - Fictional diary of a teenage girl who lives in

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

. * ''OMG! I'm in Love with a Geek!'' (2014) * ''My Life Uploaded'' (2018) * ''My Life Gone Viral'' (2020)

Nonfiction

* ''It's All in Your Head: A Guide to Getting Your Sh*t Together'' (2017); published in the U.S. as ''Your Brain Needs a Hug: Life, Love, Mental Health, and Sandwiches'' (2019)

References

External links

Rae Earl bio at her agent's websiteInterview for thelondonpaper, 21 August 2007Interview for Metro, 3 February 2014
1971 births Living people British diarists People from Stamford, Lincolnshire British expatriates in Australia People educated at Stamford High School, Lincolnshire Women diarists Alumni of the University of Hull 21st-century English novelists 21st-century English women writers British women novelists {{UK-radio-bio-stub